Coronavirus live news Australia: Another death as NSW records 105 new cases, Victoria, 16
Delta ‘like nothing we have dealt with’, says NSW Premier, as Swans and Giants players forced into isolation after watching rugby at MCG.
- ‘Too early’ to say if Vic lockdown ends Tuesday
- Two more athletes test positive in Olympic Village
- Athletics team isolated in Covid scare
- One death, 105 NSW cases
- 16 new cases in Victoria
- Fear and confusion as Sydney ‘ring of steel’ rules bite
- Covid alert after case spends night at Qld border stop
- First athlete tests positive at Olympics Village
Welcome to The Weekend Australian’s live rolling coverage of the coronavirus crisis and national response.
The latest Covid outbreak has claimed a fourth life as NSW finds 105 more cases today.
Victoria has 16 new cases as exposure sites balloon. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has no plan to lift lockdown early, as a Mildura case causes significant concern.
As the construction industry slams a decision to shut down building sites at a forecast cost of $1bn a week from tomorrow, NSW authorities are on alert after a confirmed Covid case spent the night at a busy truck stop near the Queensland border and three furniture removalists travelled around the state’s south despite knowing they were infected. Meanwhile, Britain’s health minister has caught the virus on the eve of ‘freedom day’ and Covid has hit the Tokyo Olympic Village, prompting the event boss to pleads for public support.
Ben Packham10.15pm:Support vow as PNG crisis deepens
Australia will consider hundreds of millions of dollars of fresh budget support for Papua New Guinea as the country battles an economic emergency on top of unchecked Covid-19 infection rates.
International Development Minister Zed Seselja said Australia would not abandon its closest neighbour to deal with the twin crises alone, but warned its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic would be central to its prospects for economic recovery.
Australia has provided two low-interest loans to PNG in recent times, consolidating them last year into a single $558m debt.
Simon Benson9.30pm: Newspoll: PM marked down as jab frustration builds
The federal Coalition has slumped to its lowest electoral position this term amid Covid lockdowns in two states and growing community frustration over the vaccine rollout, with voters losing confidence in Scott Morrison’s management of the pandemic.
A Newspoll conducted exclusively for The Australian shows popular support for the Coalition and Labor now deadlocked at 39 per cent respectively as the Prime Minister’s net approval rating slid to its lowest level since the 2019-20 summer bushfire crisis.
With the Morrison government under sustained political attack from Labor premiers attempting to link the vaccine rollout to the lockdowns in Victoria and NSW, the Coalition’s primary vote has fallen two points to 39 per cent. Federal Labor’s primary vote rose by the same amount over the same three-week period leading to a four-point shift in the estimated two-party-preferred vote to 53-47 in favour of Labor.
Rachel Baxendale 8.45pm: Exposure sites added across Victoria
More than 20 coronavirus exposure sites have been added to Victoria’s list since 3pm on Sunday, in locations ranging from Mildura, 540km from Melbourne in the state’s far northwest, to Wycheproof and Ravenswood on the road between Mildura and Melbourne, and Maddingley, near Bacchus Marsh, 60km west of the state capital.
Within Melbourne there are new exposure sites in Richmond, Cremorne and Hawthorn in Melbourne’s inner east, and bayside Brighton East and Oakleigh South in the southeast.
Nine Mildura exposure sites relate to a man in his 30s who tested positive for coronavirus at the emergency department of the town’s hospital in the early hours of Sunday, after attending the Geelong vs Carlton AFL match at the MCG on July 10.
They include a shopping centre, supermarket, community centre, pool, restaurants and coffee shops on Monday and Tuesday last week.
A Caltex service station at Ravenswood, 140km from Melbourne, and a Bakery at Wycheproof, another 140km along the road towards Mildura, have been listed for last Sunday July 11.
The Maddingley exposure sites include a service station and gym on Tuesday and Wednesday, while the Hawthorn exposure sites are a McDonald’s and a Schnitz restaurant, both on Wednesday.
A Fitness First gym and Dan Murphy’s in Brighton East and a 7-Eleven in Oakleigh South, all on Wednesday, round out the latest southeastern suburbs sites.
Coles Richmond Icon store in Swan Street has been listed twice, for periods on Thursday and Friday. Around the corner in Church St, Cremorne, Axil Coffee Roasters has been listed as an exposure site between 10:40am and 11:16pm on Saturday July 17.
A full list of Victoria’s 248 coronavirus exposure sites can be accessed on the Victorian Health Department website.
The Health Department exposure sites website crashed multiple times and was offline for over an hour on Sunday, but has been back up and running since 6.30pm.
READ MORE:Skewed supply short-changing key states
Nick Jensen8pm:Police to crack down on Sydney beaches
NSW Police says it will launch an operation targeting metropolitan Sydney beaches and coastal areas during the week, as state authorities continue to combat the spread of the Covid-19 Delta strain.
The coastal operation is part of a wider escalation of compliance activities throughout greater Sydney in response to further restrictions announced over the weekend.
Police will be undertaking “high-visibility patrols” in locations including Bondi Beach, Manly Beach and other coastal areas to ensure social distancing is maintained.
Field Operations Deputy Commissioner Malcolm Lanyon said residents need to understand that the reasonable excuse of exercise in the public health order does not override the very important social distancing requirements.
“I ask people to be mindful and ensure that they comply with the social distancing guidelines in place,” said Deputy Commissioner Lanyon.
“The new health order requires that people in a number of circumstances must provide evidence of their name and address if requested by police to ensure they are complying with the order.”
Officers from the Marine Area Command, Aviation Command, Traffic and Highway Patrol Command, Police Transport Command and the Police Mounted Unit will provide specialist support to the high-visibility police operations.
READ MORE: ‘Covid cruiser’ millionaire in tech firm row
Rhiannon Down7.45pm:Builders hammered by construction ban
Industry leaders have urged the NSW government to lift the nation’s first total lockdown on the construction sector as soon as possible as estimates of the total cost soar to the $1bn mark, as concern mounts an extension would mean losses will not be recouped.
Construction sites across Greater Sydney ground to a halt on Monday morning after Gladys Berejiklian announced a two-week pause on the $70bn a year industry on Saturday, including major government projects such as the WestConnex, following a spike in infections in the sector.
Construction industry forecaster and former BIS Oxford Economics chair Robert Mellor said while two weeks accounted for about $2.5bn in economic activity, the real cost of the lockdown would depend on its length.
Patrick Commins7.15pm:JobKeeper on agenda ‘if lockdowns persist’
Economist Chris Richardson says the commonwealth will be forced to reinstate the JobKeeper program if a failure to contain the Delta strain of the Covid-19 virus triggers “rolling lockdowns” across the nation.
Sydney is roughly halfway through a five-week lockdown of increasing intensity, while Victorians are in the midst of a snap five-day shutdown due to expire on Tuesday night. Given this, the race to vaccinate the bulk of the population by the end of the year has gained more urgency.
AMP chief economist Shane Oliver has estimated that the economic toll running from a spate of lockdowns since May could run as high as $10bn, and he said widening lockdowns could erase the impressive gains made over the past year
AFP 6.30pm:UK PM to self-isolate when not working, after Covid case
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will undertake “only essential government business” in the week ahead after he was designated a close contact of a person infected with Covid, Downing Street said on Sunday.
Mr Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak were both designated but are taking part in a government pilot scheme that enables them to continue working, a spokesperson said.
The development came just as Mr Johnson’s government prepares to ditch most pandemic restrictions in England on Monday. The pilot mandates daily testing for participants and outside of work, they must self-isolate.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid confirmed on Saturday he had tested positive for Covid-19 and was now self-isolating for 10 days.
“The Prime Minister and Chancellor have been contacted by NHS (National Health Service) Test and Trace as contacts of someone who has tested positive for Covid,” the Downing Street spokesperson said.
“They will be participating in the daily contact testing pilot to allow them to continue to work from Downing Street.
“They will be conducting only essential government business during this period.”
Mr Javid had a “lengthy” meeting with Johnson on Friday, according to the Sunday Times. The prime minister nearly died of Covid last year.
READ MORE:UK is in the grip of Covid chaos
Rebecca Williams6pm:Sydney AFL stars in isolation after watching rugby test
GWS Giants and Sydney Swans AFL players and staff have been re-classified as Tier 2 contacts, forcing them out of Sunday’s clash at Metricon Stadium on the gold Coast.
Six Swans players and staff members, along with nine Giants players who attended the have been affected after Wallabies v France rugby match in Melbourne on Tuesday, the AFL said in a statement on Sunday.
The players and staff entered via Gate 7 of the MCG and sat in Rows 25-42 of Zone 2, which has been re-classified as a Tier 2 exposure site by the Victorian Department of Health.
None of the impacted players or staff members will be able to take part in Sunday night’s match and must isolate themselves under Queensland Department of Health requirements.
The AFL said the match would proceed as scheduled with the updated teams to be released shortly.
“The AFL has notified the Queensland government and is acting in accordance with their directions,” the statement said.
“The Victorian Department of Health continue to contact those directly affected with further updates.
“The GWS Giants vs Sydney Swans match will proceed as scheduled – the updated teams will be released shortly.”
The following players are unable to participate in the match:
GWS GIANTS:
Kieren Briggs
Matthew de Boer
Toby Greene
Jake Stein
SYDNEY SWANS:
Harry Cunningham
Callum Mills
Colin O’Riordan
Callum Sinclair
MORE TO COME
Rachel Baxendale4.55pm:‘Mushroom treatment’: Clarity needed on snap lockdown
Victorian opposition frontbencher David Southwick called on Premier Daniel Andrews to give people clarity about whether the state’s “five day” lockdown will end as planned on Tuesday.
“We are a few days off of what is meant to be the end of lockdown number five, and still no word as to whether this lockdown is actually going to end on Tuesday,” Mr Southwick said.
“I think Victorians are sick of being given the mushroom treatment by Daniel Andrews, we’re just kept in the dark, and not being told information about when this lockdown is going to end.”
Mr Southwick also hit out at the lack of warning ahead of the lockdown beginning, with Mr Andrews not confirming the lockdown until 4:50pm on Thursday afternoon, when “many school kids had already gone home, many businesses had already closed”.
“Now we’re only a few days off and we still don’t know what’s going to happen: businesses when they’re going to need to order stock, schools when they’re going to go back to teaching in a classroom,” he said.
“Enough is enough. Simply people need basic information about what’s going on so they can plan.”
Mr Southwick said that while it was unfortunate to see a case detected in a resident of Mildura, 540km northwest of Melbourne, on Sunday, that should not automatically see all of regional Victoria remain in lockdown.
Rachel Baxendale4.05pm:Re-tests for all Tier 2 contacts at MCG
Victoria’s Health Department is retesting all Tier 2 contacts who sat on the second level of the MCC members’ reserve at the Geelong vs Carlton match at the MCG on July 10.
Advice has also been updated for people who attended the Wallabies vs France rugby match at AAMI Park on Tuesday night.
People who were seated in Tier 2 of the MCC members’ stand were previously required to get tested and isolate until they received a negative result, unless they were seated in a Tier 1 location closer to a known positive case, or had visited the Percy Beames bar, which is believed to have been a transmission site.
All Tier 2 MCG contacts have now been ordered to get retested, even if their previous result was negative.
At AAMI Park, anyone who entered the ground through Gate 7 between 7:56pm and 8:13pm last Tuesday is considered a Tier 1 contact must get tested, as is anyone who was seated in sections 22, 23 and 24 (Aisles 20-23, Rows A-U, seats 378-457).
Anyone who was otherwise seated in Sections 25-43 of Zone 2 at the match is considered a Tier 2 contact and must get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result.
Advice has also been updated for the Ms Frankie restaurant in nearby Cremorne, which is now considered a Tier 1 exposure site from 5pm Tuesday until 1am Friday, after at least three staff members and five patrons tested positive.
A Coles in Sanctuary Lakes in Melbourne’s outer southwest, and Yarra Trams routes through Melbourne’s CBD, East Melbourne, Richmond, Kew, Camberwell and Box Hill have also recently been added to the list.
READ MORE:Sydney cafe exposed to virus for 10 days
Rachel Baxendale3.30pm:When will Victorians get out of lockdown?
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says it’s too early for him to determine whether to release the state from what has been flagged as a five day lockdown at midnight on Tuesday.
Mr Andrews said he also had no announcements to make on Sunday about his promise on Thursday to consider ending the lockdown early for parts of the state unaffected by coronavirus, citing a case in Mildura, 540km from Melbourne in the state’s northwest.
“That just confirms I think for all of us, if we needed any (confirmation), that this moves quick, and a problem anywhere comes a problem everywhere unless you’ve got rules on that are hard and fast and you have taken this as seriously as possible from the earliest moment,” Mr Andrews said.
“That is the approach that we have taken, and it is working. I just can’t yet make announcements for what will be relevant and what will be able to be done safely, what will be possible, if you like, from midnight on Tuesday. The next 24 hours, obviously the next 48 hours are critical in terms of that.
“As soon as we can provide people with greater clarity and any notice at all of any changes, then of course we will, but it is too early, frustratingly I know, but it is too early for us to make those announcements today.”
Asked whether he was considering releasing any part of Victoria before midnight on Tuesday, Mr Andrews said he would not do so without health advice telling him it would be a “safe” decision.
“I have no such advice,” Mr Andrews said.
“This lockdown won’t be on any longer than it needs to be, and I can tell you it’ll be much shorter than it would have been.
“Look at these cases that have just unfolded in the last couple of days. If we had been open, then we wouldn’t be talking about 40, 50, 60 cases, we’d be talking about an altogether bigger number, and an altogether longer lockdown. This strategy is working.”
Asked when Victorians could expect to know whether the lockdown will end on Tuesday, Mr Andrews said: “I can’t give you a time, but I think tomorrow we’ll be able to share a bit more with people.”
Asked whether that meant he would make the announcement tomorrow, Mr Andrews said: “I will be out tomorrow and hopefully I’ve got some announcements to make. If I do, I do. If I don’t then it’ll be the following day.”
“We’ll do what’s safe but we will wait to see as much data and as much information as possible, and we will try and give people as much notice as possible, but that’s very, very challenging, and getting this right is, can I say, with respect, more important than giving people notice.
“It’s dynamic. It’s faster moving than it’s ever been, and that makes giving people a really orderly picture of things quite hard.”
Rachel Baxendale3.00pm:What we know about Victoria’s Mildura case
As of 2.30pm on Sunday, Victoria’s Health Department was yet to list exposure sites related to a man in his 30s who caught coronavirus at the Geelong vs Carlton match at the MCG on July 10, before travelling back to his Mildura home in the state’s far northwest.
Covid-19 logistics chief Jeroen Weimar said the man’s positive test result had come through “in the early hours” of Sunday morning.
“He presented to the emergency room at Mildura hospital. He is currently in the care of those clinicians,” Mr Weimar said.
“We are continuing to work with him this morning. We’ll work out exactly what his movements have been.
“My understanding at this point is that he was part of a group of three household members who travelled to the game. I don’t have his travel details as to when he travelled up and when he travelled back and how he travelled.
“My understanding, again, and this may evolve as we do more interviewing, is that he was on the MCC members’ reserve on Level Two, that would make him at least a Tier Two contact, possibly a Tier One contact. That information will come out, we’ll obviously update during the course of the day if we need to.”
Chief health officer Brett Sutton said the Mildura case was an indication that the virus could rapidly move “anywhere across the state”.
“These big sporting events in particular, they draw a lot of people from a lot of areas,” Professor Sutton said.
“We know there are literally dozens of primary close contacts across multiple local government areas.
“They haven’t all tested positive, obviously, but they are a risk to regional Victoria in that regard.
“There’ll need to be a lot of testing done in Mildura and there’ll need to be a lot of people who check on those exposure sites once that interview’s completed today.”
READ MORE:Charges follow lockdown protest
Nicholas Jensen2.55pm:Hopkins dumped by Seven after Sydney quarantine jokes
Controversial media personality Katie Hopkins has been dropped from Channel 7’s flagship Big Brother VIP program and will leave the country after flouting hotel quarantine restrictions in Sydney, the TV network has confirmed.
Ms Hopkins, who was due to join the cast of Big Brother VIP in August, claimed in a live video to Instagram followers that lockdown was “the greatest hoax in human history” and admitted to breaking quarantine rules by taunting hotel staff and opening her door naked and without a face mask when her food was being delivered.
In a statement on Sunday afternoon, Channel 7 confirmed that the British right-wing personality would no longer be taking part of Big Brother VIP, saying the network “strongly condemn her irresponsible and reckless comments in hotel quarantine”.
The network’s decision to terminate Ms Hopkins’ contract comes hours after Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews ordered an urgent review of Hopkins’ alleged breach, investigating whether she had broken her VISA conditions.
READ the full story here.
Agencies2.50pm:Two athletes test positive in Olympic Village
Two athletes have become the first to test positive for Covid-19 inside the Tokyo Olympic Village, officials said on Sunday.
It comes as widespread reports a third athlete has also tested positive at Tokyo Airport on the same day the majority of the Aussie team entered the Village for the first time.
Concerns remain high just days before the Games open with thousands of the world’s athletes flying in to Tokyo in recent days — including large sections of Australia’s 472-person Olympic team.
The cases were revealed a day after an unidentified person became the first to test positive in the Village, which will house thousands of competitors during the Games.
The bombshell news was confirmed by the Tokyo Organising Committee just minutes after it was first reported that the entire Australian athletics team had been forced into lockdown as a result of an inconclusive test within the camp.
The news of two athletes contracting Covid-19 came just 12 hours after the chief of the Tokyo Olympics tried to reassure “worried” athletes. — AFP
READ the full story here
Rachel Baxendale2.30pm:Two Melbourne blocks in lockdown, third being assessed
Two Melbourne apartment buildings are in lockdown and a third is being assessed by the Victorian health department on Sunday after residents tested positive.
Victorian Covid-19 logistics chief Jeroen Weimar said 131 residents continued to isolate at the Ariele apartments in Maribyrnong in Melbourne’s west, where four residents have tested positive for the virus after their neighbour moved out with the assistance of three Sydney removalists.
All positive cases have been placed in hotel quarantine, and apartment residents are expected to be tested again on Sunday.
Mr Weimar confirmed the Isola building in Burnley Street, Richmond, in Melbourne’s inner east, was also in lockdown, after a positive resident was moved to hotel quarantine on Saturday.
“We’ve told those residents to isolate for 14 days. We will undertake testing today and then we’ll review the progress of that particular building,” Mr Weimar said.
At a third location, in inner city Fitzroy, the department is working with residents to assess risk.
“Well work with those residents, and if we’ve got more information to update, we will,” Mr Weimar said.
He said a second Richmond apartment building in Appleton Street, just around the corner from the Isola building, was not in lockdown at this stage, despite being home to a positive case.
“With those individual apartment buildings, we go through them very carefully, as we’ve done with Isola, as we’re doing with the location in Fitzroy at the moment, as we’ve done with Ariele and all the previous ones,” Mr Weimar said.
“We’ll work collectively across all those resident groups and we’ll always take a cautious approach.”
Rachel Baxendale1.40pm:‘High risk’ of transmission at Crafty Squire soccer event
Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton says health authorities are concerned a Euro soccer finals event at the Crafty Squire bar in Melbourne’s CBD may have been a “high risk” venue for coronavirus transmission.
A Trinity Grammar teacher who caught the virus at the MCG on Saturday July 10 was among 400 people watching Italy beat England at the Crafty Squire between 3am and 8am on Monday morning.
The same man, aged in his 30s, has been linked to eight infections at the Ms Frankie restaurant in Cremorne near Richmond in Melbourne’s inner east, where he ate dinner before attending the Wallabies vs France rugby match at nearby AAMI park on Tuesday night. There are also a total of six infections linked to Trinity Grammar in Kew in Melbourne’s east.
Professor Sutton said the Crafty Squire was “not yet a transmission site, but one … that I consider a potentially very high risk site.”
“There will have been people there for a prolonged period of time. If they were eating and drinking their masks will have been off. I’m sure they will have been shouting, or for the English, crying, so risk of transmission by virtue of that,” he said.
“There were more than 400 people present. We are going through the ticket holders, we are going through the QR codes, but there were a number of people who bought tickets in bulk and gave them to their friends, so it’s really a shout-out to anyone who has been there from 3am to 8am to contact us to and make sure you are testing and quarantining.
“We have made good progress with the outbound calls, but there are still others to reach.”
Covid-19 logistics chief Jeroen Weimar urged anyone who had bought tickets to the Crafty Squire event or the MCG or AAMI park matches on behalf of others to ensure they got the health messages.
“If you’re buying tickets on behalf of the other people, the messages you get from us or from the AFL or from AAMI, also relate to your friends who were there,” Mr Weimar said.
“It’s really important that your own social telegraph starts to work, because we don’t know who you decided to bring along with you. It’s a critical control that you have to be a part of.”
Mr Weimar said 1900 interstate arrivals had been checked for permits by authorised offices at Melbourne Airport on Saturday, with 380 household visits conducted to recent red zone arrivals and primary close contacts who are undergoing a fortnight of home quarantine.
He said more than 99 per cent had been found to be compliant, with none referred to police.
More than 10,000 recent red zone arrivals are currently undergoing home quarantine in Victoria.
READ MORE:Victoria scrambles to fight virus incursions on two fronts
Rachel Baxendale12.40pm: Victoria’s 14,000 close contacts of 29 cases
Victorian Covid-19 logistics chief Jeroen Weimar says there are now 14,000 primary close contacts of Victoria’s 59 community-acquired coronavirus cases.
The number of exposure sites was 217 on Sunday morning — an increase of 50 since Saturday.
More than 100,000 coronavirus test results have been processed in the 24 hours to Sunday, including 53,283 on Saturday.
Of Victoria’s 16 new cases officially notified on Sunday morning, five have been linked to the Ms Frankie restaurant in Cremorne, near Richmond, in Melbourne’s inner east.
These include a staff member and four patrons.
Previously a patron and two staff members had been linked to the venue, bringing the total number of Ms Frankie cases to eight.
Four new extended family contacts have been linked to the separate City of Hume outbreak in Melbourne’s outer north, bringing that cluster to 10 cases.
The Hume cluster was sparked after a man who had recently returned to Sydney breached home quarantine and infected an acquaintance at the Craigieburn Coles supermarket.
Three of Sunday’s new cases have been linked to Trinity Grammar in Kew in Melbourne’s east, including a student, a staff member and a household contact.
This brings the total number of Trinity Grammar cases to six, including the index case, who caught the virus at the Geelong vs Carlton match at the MCG on July 10, and two teachers whose positive test results were in Saturday’s numbers.
The Trinity Grammar index case is also the index case for the Ms Frankie outbreak, and for two cases at Tuesday night’s rugby match between the Wallabies and France at AAMI Park, both of which are in Sunday’s numbers.
All three AAMI Park cases, including the index case, entered the venue through Gate 7, and were seated in sections 20-23.
Sunday’s fifteenth case is in a person who caught the virus during a three-day trip to Phillip Island. Six people were on this trip, including a person who caught the virus at the MCG. A total of four, including the index case, have now been infected.
The sixteenth and final case included in Sunday morning’s official numbers is a teacher at Bacchus Marsh Grammar, 60km west of Melbourne.
The total number of cases linked to the school now includes six teachers and a student. The first of those teachers is a man in his 50s, who went to Young & Jackson and the MCG with a friend in his 60s who caught the virus at his home in the Ariele Maribyrnong apartments in Melbourne’s west, via three Sydney removalists.
The teacher in his 50s has also infected at least three household contacts at his home in Barwon Heads, 110km southwest of Melbourne near Geelong.
Not included in Sunday’s numbers is a case in a man in his 30s from Mildura in Victoria’s far southwest, who tested positive at the town’s hospital emergency department in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The man had attended the Geelong vs Carlton match at the MCG on July 10, and was seated in the affected second level of the MCC members’ reserve.
READ MORE:Victorians in lockdown limbo
Jacquelin Magnay12.25pm: Australian athletes isolated in Covid drama
The entire Australian track and field team was quarantined in their rooms for several hours after a Covid scare during a pre-Games training camp in Cairns.
An official with the team returned an inconclusive Covid test as they were seeking to join the team camp after flying up from Melbourne.
The official has undergone a battery of subsequent tests, which have all been negative, allowing the athletes to be let out to compete in a warm-up competition on Sunday.
READ the full story here.
Rhiannon Down12.20pm: NSW issues 240 infringements for Covid-19 breaches
NSW Police deputy police commissioner Gary Worboys says police have issued 240 infringement notices as a result of lockdown breaches across 43 commands.
“Of note, more than a dozen were issued in Newcastle,” he said.
“A similar amount in the centre of Sydney. What it highlights is the fact that police right across the state continue to respond to Crime Stoppers reports and continue to be highly visible in those areas where they think people are stepping outside the public health orders and where they will, they will issue infringement notices to try and correct that behaviour.”
Deputy commissioner Worboys said the removalists that had sparked a major infection scare across three states would soon face charges in court, adding that breaches could incur hefty penalties.
“What I would also highlight this morning as people are well aware of three removalists that
travelled from down in the Illawarra up to Molong in the Central West,” he said.
“Those three gentlemen have been issued court attendance notices.
Paul Garvey11.55am: Ship with up to seven Covid cases to dock in WA
A ship with up to seven suspected Covid-19 cases on board is expected to dock in Fremantle shortly.
WA premier Mark McGowan said seven of the 14 crew aboard the vessel were ill, and were isolating in separate cabins.
The ship left Egypt on 8 June, and had visited three ports in Indonesia – which is experiencing a severe outbreak – before setting sail for Australia. Some of the seven ill crew starting feeling unwell on 12 July.
Mr McGowan said the sick crew would be assessed upon arrival at Fremantle by a specialist team.
“The ship has to be assessed, the crew have to be assessed, and we will do that as carefully and with as much precaution as humanly possible,” he said.
“We need to make sure every precaution is taken, and we can’t go and have the prospect of an outbreak here in Western Australia as a consequence of this ship.”
He said he had originally hoped to see the ship turn around and head back to Indonesia, but the significant proportion of crew showing symptoms of the virus meant it would be unsafe for the vessel to remain on the open sea.
Separately, Mr McGowan said the state was looking to open a mass vaccination in the Perth CBD — most likely at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre — once additional supplies of the Pfizer vaccine were secured.
“We just have to make sure we have the supply on hand before we put the extra bookings in place, and that’s what we’re doing,” he said.
Rhiannon Down11.50am: WestConnex to halt for Covid construction shutdown
Gladys Berejiklian has confirmed that major government projects including the WestConnex will grind to a halt as part of the construction shut down beginning tomorrow.
“The government took the difficult decision to abandon what we call non-critical construction work,” the NSW Premier said.
“If you need something in your home to keep your family safe, there is no issue with that.
“We do not want anyone to feel they are going to get in trouble for fixing something in the house that will keep their family safe in these difficult times.”
“But we have to appreciate this mobility of thousands and thousands of people going to multiple sites, small, large or medium, is unfortunately a very big risk at this time and unfortunately a lot of those people are in jobs we all depend on.”
“So we have heard of a number of cases in the region of people travelling out of the Greater Sydney area who were infectious and we need to stop that transmission of the disease and we have a blind spot into the data the last five days and what we have seen today is what has occurred five days ago and we cannot have the rest that people are unnecessarily travelling around multiple sites, possibly while infectious.”
READ MORE:Are you rich enough to travel post-Covid?
Rhiannon Down11.40am: Business grants open Monday in NSW
NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet has urged businesses impacted by the lockdown to apply for government support to get through the lockdown.
Mr Perrottet asked Sydneysiders to be patient due to “significant demand” on Service NSW, adding that grant applications will open tomorrow.
“Businesses, small sole traders, medium and large, can also receive support through Service NSW,” he said.
“There are many bands available as well. To help with fixed costs, rent, electricity and the like.
“Our first grant application tomorrow will open. Businesses that have been affected during this lockdown period can apply for up to $15,000 so those applications are available tomorrow through Service NSW. They will be processed in 4 to 5 days.”
Rhiannon Down11.30am: Virus continues to rage in southwest Sydney
The Sydney outbreak continues to rage in the city’s southwest, with 76 of today’s 105 cases being recorded in the region.
Chief health officer Kerry Chant said 69 cases in the total figure were from the Fairfield local government area, but urged the entire Sydney community to remain vigilant.
It comes as the state records its fourth death linked to the outbreak after a woman in her 90s died yesterday, while 76 people remain in hospital including 18 people fighting for life in ICU.
“But can I stress this, we are seeing cases from across metropolitan Sydney,” she said.
“So every time you leave your house it is critical that you assume you are coming into contact with Covid.
“So can I ask everybody to reflect on their movements in the next fortnight and make sure that you do not come in contact with anyone outside your household group.”
Dr Chant said faith communities celebrating Eid, which starts on July 20, should be mindful of the restrictions and only celebrate with members of their immediate household.
“I just want to reiterate that we are asking that prayers be only performed in your house and please again, do not have visitors to your home including family members and do not visit others,” she said.
“I’m sure there will be a range of technology deployed to allow you to celebrate this most important time, but we do ask for you to ensure that you do comply with the requirements to keep us, your loved ones safe.”
Rachel Baxendale11.15am: ‘Too early’ to say Vic lockdown will end Tuesday
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says it is “too early” to say whether the state will be released from lockdown on Tuesday night, after 16 new cases were recorded in the 24 hour to Sunday.
Mr Andrews said regional Victoria would also remain under lockdown, after a case was detected in Mildura, in the state’s far northwest.
The Premier had previously said he would review the lockdown order for regional Victoria and release unaffected communities early if possible.
“The next 24 hours, obviously the next 48 hours are critical,” he said.
Rhiannon Down11.15am: Urgent, emergency work OK despite construction ban
Gladys Berejiklian says urgent or emergency renovation work that is necessary to stay home safely will still be permitted under the construction ban.
“I also want to stress, you are having an urgent repair done to your home or an urgent renovation or replacement, please know that you won’t get in trouble,” the NSW Premier said.
“If you are securing the safety and wellbeing of your family, if there is something you need to secure the safety and wellbeing of your family, please don’t stress, you will be able to have that fixed.
“Whether it is a kitchen area or whether it is obviously electricity or water, we want people to know they are safe and secure in their homes and those urgent requirements will happen.”
READ MORE:Ring of steel: Sydney’s new lockdown rules
Rhiannon Down11.07am: One death, 105 new local Covid cases in NSW
NSW has recorded 105 local cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, with 27 of those infectious in the community.
It comes as the state records its fourth death linked to the outbreak after a woman in her 90s died yesterday, while 76 people remain in hospital including 18 people fighting for life in ICU.
It comes as NSW enters a period of heightened restriction including closing non-essential retail and a ban on construction that begins on Monday.
“We know this Delta strain is so difficult to deal with, it is like nothing we have dealt with before in NSW,” Gladys Berejiklian said.
“And I just want to deeply thank all sections of the community who are working hard together with us to make sure we beat this thing and we’re throwing everything at it.”
Brianna Travers10.55am: Australian Olympic athletics team Covid scare
Australia’s athletics team has had a pre-games Covid scare in their Cairns bubble just days before they depart for Tokyo.
A female physiotherapist returned an inconclusive Covid test on Saturday, it can be revealed.
In what is a relief for the athletics team, the staffer has since returned two negative tests after the inconclusive test.
All three tests will be further analysed to conclude the staffer does not have Covid before the athletics team head off to Tokyo.
The physiotherapist has been isolated from the team as a precautionary measure.
An Athletics Australia spokeswoman said a planned competition on Sunday would go ahead, as per QLD Health advice.
READ MORE:Aussie stars arrive in Tokyo for Games
Rachel Baxendale10.50am: What we know so far about Victoria’s weekend cases
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, chief health officer Brett Sutton and Covid-19 logistics chief Jeroen Weimar are due to hold a press conference at 11:15am
As we wait to learn the details of the latest 16 cases, here’s a wrap of what we know about Saturday’s 19 new cases.
As of Sunday there are 59 known community-acquired cases in Victoria, linked to two separate incursions from NSW.
The smaller of the clusters is linked to a family of four who live in the City of Hume, in Melbourne’s outer north, who recently returned from Sydney on a red zone permit.
All four have tested positive, and one family member breached home quarantine to visit his local Coles, infecting an acquaintance, who we learnt on Saturday has infected a member of their household, who had been isolating.
The Hume cluster stood at six as of Saturday.
Saturday’s 18 other new cases were linked to the Maribyrnong cluster, which comprised 37 cases as of Saturday.
This cluster was sparked by three Sydney removalists who gave the virus to residents of the Ariele apartment complex in the western Melbourne suburb, one of whom went to the Young & Jackson pub in the CBD and the Geelong vs Carlton match at the MCG on Saturday July 10.
Saturday’s first three Maribyrnong cases are in a man who caught the virus at the MCG, before giving it to two friends during a three-day trip to Phillip Island, 140km southeast of Melbourne.
Case four was a social contact of a previously diagnosed Trinity Grammar teacher, who caught the virus at the MCG. Cases five and six are two other teachers at Trinity Grammar. The school, in the eastern Melbourne suburb of Kew, is now in lockdown.
Cases seven, eight and nine are two staff and a customer of the Ms Frankie restaurant in Cremorne, near Richmond in Melbourne’s inner east, which was attended by a man who’d caught the virus at Young & Jackson.
Case 10 is a student at St Patrick’s Primary School in Murumbeena, who caught the virus from a fellow student, aged nine, who caught it at the MCG.
Cases 11, 12 and 13 are two staff and a student at Bacchus Marsh Grammar, 60km west of Melbourne. The total number of cases linked the school now includes five teachers and a student. The first of those teachers is a man in his 50s, who went to Young & Jackson and the MCG with his friend from the Ariele apartments. The teacher in his 50s has also infected at least three household contacts at his home in Barwon Heads, 110km southwest of Melbourne near Geelong.
Cases 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 are the wife, three daughters, and partner of one of the daughters of a man who caught the virus at Young & Jackson.
READ MORE:Niger: the land that Covid-19 forgot
Olivia Caisley10.15am: Lockdowns justified, expel UK’s Hopkins: Joyce
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce says the latest lockdowns are justified as the government needs “to keep people alive”, but Australia needs to eventually move to living with Covid-19.
It comes as sweeping new lockdown measures including a halt on construction and retail restrictions were imposed on people in NSW after the state recorded more than 100 new Covid-19 cases.
Mr Joyce told ABC Insiders on Sunday: “I think what we’ve got to do is find the transition from suppression of the virus.”
He also wouldn’t commit the National Party to a 2050 net zero target until they know the “plan” or cost.
“We want to see exactly what’s involved and we want to see exactly what the cost is,” he said.
It follows unrest within the Nationals over Scott Morrison’s plan to achieve net zero emissions as soon as possible and “preferably” by 2050, an issue which helped drive the removal of former Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack as leader.
Pressed to provide a commitment, Mr Joyce deflected the question and instead took aim at the Labor Party’s own emission reduction targets.
“The Labor Party’s approach is — they don’t care what’s on the menu and they don’t care what is the price and when what turns up is sauteed gherkins and sashimi tadpoles,” he said.
Mr Joyce also backed the expulsion of conservative UK media personality Katie Hopkins, who was controversially allowed into the country despite the halving of travel caps as 34,000 Australians are stranded overseas.
“I’m the one who wanted to send home Johnny Depp’s dog,” he said. “So I have no problem sending home someone who wants to flout our laws. If you want to do that, pack your bongo and get out.”
READ MORE:Europeans face travel woes as Covid reaches Olympic Village
Rachel Baxendale9.55am:Victoria exposure sites balloon close to 220
Victoria’s list of coronavirus exposure sites has grown to almost 220 overnight into Sunday, with the latest venues including the Cookie and Emerald Peacock bars in Melbourne’s CBD on the eve of the state’s lockdown, which began on Friday.
Last Tuesday’s rugby match between the Wallabies and France at AAMI Park has now been linked to at least one transmission of the virus, with anyone who attended the event required to monitor for symptoms, and a series of sites at AAMI Park listed as Tier 1 and Tier 2 sites, including the Gate 7 entrance, and the Level 1 male bathroom between Aisles 21 and 23.
Concerningly, the Crafty Squire bar in Melbourne’s Russell Street has been listed as a Tier 1 exposure site for a period spanning 3am to 8:15am, coinciding with a raucous crowd gathering to watch the Euro soccer finals last Monday morning.
Other new sites include the basketball hall at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre in inner city Albert Park, a pub, gelati store and several cafes in Kew and a restaurant in Camberwell in Melbourne’s inner east, as well as a McDonalds at Delahey and an Aldi at Keilor in Melbourne’s northwest, a string of venues in Broadmeadows and Dallas in Melbourne’s outer north, a transport company in Tottenham in the west, public toilets in Point Cook in the outer southwest, a homewares store in Clayton and a bank and lotto store in Oakleigh, both in the southeast, and buses in Bacchus Marsh, 60km west of Melbourne.
New sites have also been added to a long list of venues all over Phillip Island, 140km southeast of Melbourne, where a Covid-positive person spent three days as part of a group of six, at least two of whom have since tested positive.
A gym in Richmond and a restaurant in Cremorne, in Melbourne’s inner East, also have new exposure sites, after Ms Frankie restaurant in Cremorne was linked to transmissions earlier this week, with a seven storey apartment complex in Richmond’s Burnley Street locked down on Saturday after residents tested positive.
Details of all the latest exposure sites are available on the Victorian Health Department website.
READ MORE:More removalists allegedly broke rules
Rachel Baxendale9.30am:16 new cases in Victoria, includes one at rugby
Victoria has recorded 16 new coronavirus cases in the 24 hours to Sunday.
The Australian understands one of these cases attended Tuesday night’s rugby match between the Wallabies and France at AAMI Park — representing the first known transmission at the game.
All of Sunday’s new cases have been linked to known outbreaks.
Reported yesterday: 16 new local cases and 2 new cases acquired overseas (currently in HQ).
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) July 17, 2021
- 16,751 vaccine doses were administered
- 53,283 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl0ZEco#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicDatapic.twitter.com/1sHlGbgFGl
Victoria’s latest cases come after 53,283 tests were processed on Saturday, which compares with the state’s all time testing record of 57,519 on June 2.
In addition to the 16 new locally acquired cases, there were two new cases in overseas arrivals in hotel quarantine.
Victoria currently has 70 known active cases, 59 of which were locally acquired.
State-run vaccination facilities administered 16,751 immunisations on Saturday, bringing the total number of jabs given by the Victorian Health Department to 1,379,885.
READ MORE:Aussie stars arrive for Tokyo Olympics
Olivia Caisley8.50am:Beijing dispatches second surveillance ship to Qld
Trade Minister Dan Tehan says it’s critical the rules-based system is followed as Beijing dispatched a second hi-tech surveillance ship to Queensland amid the ramp up of large-scale military exercises between Australian and American forces.
“All countries have the right when it comes to freedom of navigation and when it comes to their ships to conduct naval exercises,” he said. “The thing that’s important is that we have rules and want everyone to adhere to those rules.”
As tension increases between Beijing and Canberra and after China slapped economic sanctions on several Australian industries, Mr Tehan said it was important all countries followed trading rules.
Speaking to Sky News on Sunday from Seoul, Mr Tehan said his trip to the region was vital as Australia looks to diversify its trading markets.
“There are trade rules in place and we want everyone to adhere to those and that’s how we can keep our trading free and open and prosperous,” he said.
READ MORE:Greg Sheridan — On Beijing, the truth is Gough Whitlam was a disaster
Olivia Caisley8.30am:Sydney’s south west ‘paying the price for Bondi’
Labor’s federal member for McMahon in south west Sydney says his constituents are paying a heavy price for NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s decision to not lock down Bondi earlier as Covid-19 cases across his electorate surge.
Chris Bowen told Sky News on Sunday the community was angry that Scott Morrison and the NSW government did not act sooner and had provided confusing directions on testing and vaccinations. More than 80 of the state’s 111 new cases yesterday were detected in Sydney’s south west.
“There’ll be anger that Scott Morrison didn’t lock down earlier, if this virus had been crushed when it was in Bondi then the people of Fairfield wouldn’t be paying the price now,” he said. “There’s anger that people can’t get vaccinated, I want to get vaccinated.
“We see silly ads on the TV telling us to arm ourselves, but we can’t get a vaccine booking. and there’s real concern about the economy. This is a massive shutdown.”
Mr Bowen called on the Prime Minister to reinstate JobKeeper, declaring the current Covid-19 disaster payments would not “cut the mustard” for families in the face of a protracted lockdown.
All construction except for urgent repairs and emergency building work has been halted in Greater Sydney until at least July 30, in a measure that is expected to cost the region $1bn a week.
“He (Mr Morrison) causes problems with a lack of good quarantine, he should at the very least step in with a very similar economic support package that people had in last year’s lockdown.”
READ MORE:The gripping inside story of AstraZeneca
Christine Kellett 7.45am: Tension and fear in Sydney suburbs as rules tighten
Residents in Sydney’s locked down Fairfield are “scared, anxious and confused” as they adjust to even tougher restrictions that took effect overnight.
Fairfield City Councillor Dai Le said people living in Sydney’s south west felt unfairly targeted by the government, which announced a ‘ring of steel’ around the Fairfield, Liverpool and Canterbury Bankstown LGAs, preventing residents from leaving those areas in a bid to curb the spread of the Delta strain.
More than 80 of the states 111 new cases yesterday were detected in Sydney’s south west.
Cr Le said the government was aware that many residents of these suburbs were essential workers just trying to put food on the table. Recent rules requiring testing every three days in order to work and a 100-strong police crackdown had hit hard, she said.
“We were treated like second-class citizens,” Cr Lai told the ABC on Sunday.
“People are very stressed and anxious, scared, confused, concerned and so we’ve got a city that is in complete lockdown with a lot of tension, a lot of social stress within our community.”
She said if the Berejiklian government had acted earlier and across the board, the south west would not be now bearing the brunt of the restrictions.
“I think the failure for the government is that when this whole thing broke out 18 months ago, we did not look towards Melbourne to learn about the earlier lockup and therefore it has led to where we are now and then, in an area such as Fairfield and Liverpool, where there’s a larger proportion of essential workers that had to go out to work and they need to earn an income, put food on the table for their families, it has been a challenge for these families now. In the last few days, businesses have said to me, ‘We can’t open, because we can’t afford
to run our business anymore.’
“There’s been more pressure put on our communities than, say, the eastern suburbs.
READ MORE:Gerard Henderson — Premier should start playing ball instead of politics
Christine Kellett7am:Construction shutdown ‘to cost $1bn a week’
The shutdown of construction will cost Sydney up to $1 billion a week, according to modelling produced by the state’s peak business body.
All construction except for urgent repairs and emergency building work will halt from tomorrow in Greater Sydney until at least July 30, after Premier Gladys Berejiklian admitted current stay-at-home orders were resulting in the state simply “treading water” in the fight to contain the Delta strain.
“Ceasing construction projects and non-essential trades will cost people their jobs and livelihoods,” Business NSW CEO Daniel Hunter told the Sunday Telegraph.
“There’s no sugar-coating it, some small businesses won’t recover.
“All tradies will have their income cut off for a minimum two-week period. They will be eligible for some of the support packages but that won’t replace all the lost revenue.”
Construction workers can claim benefits of up to $600 a week and businesses can access payments between $1500 to $10,000 a week to cover 40 per cent of their payroll payments under a lockdown rescue package announced on Wednesday.
READ MORE:Staggering $10bn cost of Melbourne, Sydney lockdowns revealed
Domanii Cameron6.30am:Test and isolate order near Queensland border
Some people with Covid spent the night at a busy truck spot just 14km south of the Queensland border, NSW Health has confirmed.
In a statement released on Saturday evening, NSW Health said anyone who was at the Chinderah Ampol petrol station, just off the Pacific Motorway in the Tweed Shire, from 8.30pm on Tuesday to 7.30am Wednesday needed to immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days.
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – CLOSE-CONTACT VENUES OF CONCERNâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) July 17, 2021
NSW Health has been notified of a number of new venues of concern attended by confirmed cases of COVID 19, including a truck stop at Chinderah in northern NSW. pic.twitter.com/6WWHr2QOIL
The confirmed cases stayed at the truck stop at the Ampol service station, northbound on the Tweed Valley Way just near the Murwillumbah turn-off on the M1.
They used the truck drivers’ toilets, showers and lounge and the food court.
It is not known where the confirmed case travelled from there and if they crossed the border into Queensland.
READ MORE: Sydney’s new lockdown rules explained
Angie Raphael6.30am:Intensified testing catches cases just in time
It’s been revealed a rule requiring workers in some Sydney areas to be tested every three days has caught positive cases and prevented “near misses’’.
NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said surveillance testing had picked up “a number of near misses in terms of detecting people who were just about to come in contact with people in rural or regional areas”.
“As an example, we had three of Saturday’s cases are people who travel to Molong in the state’s Central West on July 16 and what happened is, we found the results of their testing and called them when they were just about to conclude some of their business,” she said.
READ MORE:Gemma Tognini — Chief health officers’ CVs are revealing
Agencies6.15am:UK health minister gets Covid ahead of ‘freedom day’
British Health Secretary Sajid Javid has tested positive for Covid-19 and is self-isolating — just as his Conservative government prepared to jettison most pandemic restrictions in England.
Under his government’s rules, Mr Javid is now required to self-isolate for 10 days unless a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test comes back negative and he no longer has symptoms.
Any of his “close contacts” — potentially including others in the government — would have to self-isolate too if they receive instructions from the state-run National Health Service.
Mr Javid was reportedly at 10 Downing Street on Friday, but there was no immediate comment from spokespeople as to whether he met face-to-face with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who became seriously sick from Covid last year.
Mr Javid also appeared alongside ministers in parliament last week, and one government source told The Telegraph newspaper: “I don’t see how half the cabinet doesn’t end up in isolation by the end of the week.”
Mr Javid has only been in the job since June 26, when former health secretary Matt Hancock resigned following revelations he had broken coronavirus restrictions during an affair with a close aide.
After feeling “a bit groggy”, Mr Javid said he had taken a lateral flow test on Saturday morning which came out positive, and he was now awaiting the result of a confirmatory PCR test.
But he stressed he has received both doses of a Covid vaccine and his symptoms were “very mild”.
For the first time since mid-January, Britain’s daily Covid caseload now exceeds 50,000, and Mr Javid has warned the figure could double from that in the coming weeks.
But the government insists that with two-thirds of the adult population now fully vaccinated, the risk can be managed, and Monday has been dubbed “freedom day” by many UK media.
Frustrated holiday-makers and travel industry leaders rounded on the government Saturday after a last-minute change kept quarantine for residents returning to England from France.
Ministers said the “persistent presence” of the Beta coronavirus variant in France meant the 10-day quarantine requirement would stay in place for one of Britain’s favourite destinations.
READ MORE: Terry McCrann — Lockdown weary? Fed is a far bigger concern
Agencies6am:Olympics chief urges Games support as Covid hits Village
Olympics chief Thomas Bach urged the Japanese people to get behind the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday as the first coronavirus case hit the Games Village, prompting fresh jitters about the health risks posed by the giant event.
Bach, who has faced scattered protests since arriving in Japan, appealed to the public to throw their support behind the athletes despite fears of a spike in cases as thousands of international visitors arrive.
The International Olympic Committee president said he was “very well aware of the scepticism” surrounding the postponed 2020 Games, which have attracted low opinion-poll ratings for months.
“I appeal to the Japanese people to welcome these athletes here for the competition of their life,” Bach said, insisting the Tokyo Olympics were safe, calling them the “most restrictive sports event … in the entire world”.
“I would like once more to ask and to invite the Japanese people, humbly, to welcome and support the athletes from around the world,” he said.
Bach’s plea came just six days before the opening ceremony for the Games, which will take place in biosecure “bubble” conditions and largely without fans.
It also coincided with the first case in the Olympic Village, concerning an unnamed person who is now in isolation.
However, Bach said just 15 people had tested positive out of 15,000 arrivals in July, citing it as proof that the strict anti-coronavirus measures, including daily tests for athletes, are working. A welcome reception for Bach on Sunday will be attended by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and 40 guests, according to reports.
Games chief Seiko Hashimoto tried to reassure athletes arriving in Japan, admitting they are “probably very worried”.
Several competitors have expressed concern over conditions at the Olympics, which are marked by ubiquitous temperature checks, hand sanitiser and daily testing.
Organisers pledged full transparency about cases in the Village, and urged people taking part in the Games to stick by the anti-coronavirus rules.
Mr Suga said he hoped the Olympics would bring excitement, even if they are taking place behind closed doors.
AFP
READ MORE: Why Tokyo Games will see a pandemic of cheating
Joseph Lam5.45am:Removalists caught travelling despite knowing they were infected
Three removalists who allegedly travelled from Sydney to regional NSW despite testing positive for Covid-19 have been charged.
The men were among a group of four, aged 21, 27, 27 and 49, who travelled from West Hoxton to Figtree and later Molong, stopping in South Bowenfels and Orange along the way.
The men were apprehended by police on Speedy Street, Molong yesterday. They were escorted back to Sydney, where they remain in isolation.
The younger three men have been issued Court Attendance Notices for failing to comply with public health orders.
Police Minister David Elliott blasted the trio’s “thoughtless act” which had “now placed our regional communities in NSW at the greatest risk so far with this pandemic.”
“We know that the delta variant is highly transmissible, and it is unfathomable to think that, with all the public information and health warnings, people could so blatantly ignore the health orders,” Mr Elliott said.
The three men are among 18 people charged in the past 24 hours. Police attended more than 1,000 pandemic-related incidents on Friday, 630 of which were reported to Crime Stoppers. A further 162 people have been issued penalty infringement notices.
READ MORE:Police in three states track removalists’ journey
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